Reps Committee support devolution of powers to State

In response to public outcry for implementation of federalism and restructuring, the House of Representatives’ Special Ad-hoc Committee unanimously support the devolution of powers to State Governments.

The Special Ad-hoc Committee comprising over 50 lawmakers drawn from various geopolitical zones of the federation, also adopted the proposed amendment which provides that any person who has been sworn-in as President to complete the term of a person elected as President shall not be eligible to contest for election into such office for more than one single term.

The meeting which was chaired by Yussuff Lasun, Deputy Speaker expressed solidarity for abrogation of the State and Local Government Joint Account from the 1999 Constitution.

The legislative framework seeks to empowers each Local Government Council to maintain its own account into which shall be paid its allocation form the Federation Account and from the State Government.

Members of the Ad-hoc Committee also expressed overwhelming support for the provisions of the sections which prescribed that disbursement from the account can only be upon a Bye-Law of the Local Government Council.

“This is aimed at granting financial autonomy to the local government councils and strengthen separation of power at that level,” the statement obtained by BusinessDay read in part.

Similarly, all the members of the Special Ad-hoc Committee endorsed the bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 constitution which seeks to provide for independent candidacy to contest elections at all levels in the country.

After robust debate on the bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the lawmakers unanimously endorsed proposal for financial autonomy for State Houses of Assembly and Judiciary directly from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the State, and for related matters.

The Adhoc Committee also adopted the provisions of the bill for an Act to alter the provision of the 1999 Constitution to strengthen Local Government administration in Nigeria.

The lawmakers who bemoaned the state of development at the rural areas across the 774 Local Government Areas across the country stressing that the financial independence for local governments in the country is a necessary step to engendering infrastructural development.